Is this Parrot Mimicking a Murder?

Family members believe an African grey parrot named "Bud" may have witnessed the fatal shooting of his owner.woodTV

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June 6, 2016, 1:09 PM GMT / Updated June 6, 2016, 1:09 PM GMT

By Rachael Trost

It’s a case that may come down to what the bird heard.

Martin Duram, 45, was shot and killed in his Michigan home in May 2015 in what police first thought was a double homicide. Duram’s wife, Glenna, had also been shot, in the head, but police realized an hour later she was still alive.

Investigators now list Glenna as a suspect in her husband’s death, suggesting she had tried to pull off a murder-suicide, according to reports obtained by NBC Affiliate woodTV. Glenna has denied the allegations and has not been charged.

However, family members say they may have a witness to the killing; the couple’s pet parrot. In a video taken several weeks after the murder, the African grey parrot named “Bud,” who is now being cared for by family members, can be heard saying, “Don’t f—ing shoot.”

The bird, they say, can be heard mimicking both Martin and Glenna as if they were arguing.

“I personally think he was there and he remembers it and he was saying it,” Duram’s father, Charles Duram, told woodTV.

Police records detail financial and gambling problems in the couple’s marriage, and Michigan police say Glenna left several suicide notes. Glenna later denied doing so in an interview with detectives, although handwriting analysis matched her handwriting to the notes, the station reported.

Newaygo County Prosecutor Robert Springsted told woodTV that he was aware the couple had a bird, but had not seen the video. He added that he expects to decide in the next two or three weeks whether or not to file charges, pending the outcome of the Michigan State Police’s ongoing investigation.

Rachael Trost

Rachael Trost is an Associate Editor of social media and digital content for Dateline NBC and NBC News Specials. She started at Dateline in August 2014. Rachael graduated from The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University, where she worked on numerous award winning broadcasts and publications. She currently lives in New York City.